Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning

Does This Make You Want to Pray

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2017-08-20

Synopsis: John Weaver preaches from Psalm 12, urging urgent prayer in light of the decline of godly men, the rise of a proud and deceitful populace, and the persecution of the needy. He warns that God may withhold His pure Word from a rebellious generation, making passionate prayer for help and preservation essential.

[John Weaver] I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 12. Psalm 12. We're going to read the entire Psalm, only eight verses. Psalm 12. The title of the message is, Does This Make You Want to Pray? Look in Psalm 12, verse one. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth. For the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbor. With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

[John Weaver] The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the ferns of the earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted." We've had an entire conference on prayer. And when it comes to prayer, most of us pray, but I'm sure that each one of us would probably admit that we do not pray as we should. And it is indeed possible to be in an attitude of prayer, even when we cannot be on our knees in prayer. But the truth of the matter is we oftentimes miss many opportunities to pray. It is possible to pray before you sleep on your bed. It is possible to pray as soon as you awake and David did so and he used every opportunity to pray.

[John Weaver] For instance in Psalm 63 and verse 6 he said, when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate upon thee in the night watches. So whenever David laid down the first thing he did was remember God and pray and meditate on him during the night watches. He said in Psalm 119, verse 148, Mine eyes prevent or precede the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word. So usually while he was lying in bed, he would meditate on the Word of God. Early morning, even before we get out of bed, is another time to pray and to seek the Lord as we just simply lie there. We should start our day with the Lord. Psalm 63, verse 1, David said, O God, my God, early will I seek Thee.

[John Weaver] My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. And then Isaiah, in Isaiah 26 and verse 9 said, With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. So David certainly had stated times of prayer.

[John Weaver] The Bible tells us in Psalm 55 and verse 17, evening and morning at noon will I pray and cry aloud and thou shalt hear my voice. So David not only prayed as he lay upon his bed early morning at night, but also three times a day as well. I want you to look, whole Psalm 12, but look in Psalm 32 because David gives us some interesting instruction concerning prayer. In Psalm 32 at verses 5 and 6. Psalm 32 verses 5 and 6. Watch carefully.

[John Weaver] This is another one of those penitential psalms. David said in verse 5, I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. Surely in floods of great waters they shall not come nigh, Now I want you to notice several things about this passage. First, David said that everyone that is godly will acknowledge and confess his sins. Second, he also said that the prayer of the godly would be in a time when God could be found. The implication is very clear that there are times when God may not be found or cannot be found.

[John Weaver] Many individuals falsely and erroneously think and assume that their access to God is always going to be unhindered and unfettered. They're wrong.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, I want you to note what he said in verse 6. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto thee. In other words, the floods of great waters indicates times of great calamity. During these times of great calamity, you will be filled with stress and distress and anguish and sickness and sometimes even death that will prevent people from coming unto the Lord.

[John Weaver] Oftentimes when you and I are hurting or when there is something very grievous unto us, the only thing that we can think about is that which is hurting us and that which is grieving unto us. You remember it was Stonewall Jackson who was wounded at Chancellorsville. And as he was being rushed to the rear on a litter, Lieutenant Smith's foot got caught in a vine and he tripped and Stonewall Jackson fell on that already mangled arm and he let out one little piteous groan. Lieutenant Smith asked him, are you all right? He said, Lieutenant Smith, don't concern yourself about me. Later on, when his arm was amputated and He was recovering. He said it was a very precious thing to him to find out that he was brought face to face with death and was able to concentrate upon the Lord. He actually said he thought he was going to die when he fell from that litter.

[John Weaver] And then he said this, that I have found that a man who has been converted by the grace of God can concentrate on God and spiritual things, but someone who had never been converted would be under so much pain and anguish and stress, he could not focus his mind upon the Lord. That's exactly what David is talking about. Surely in the times of great waters, they will not come nigh unto thee.

[John Weaver] When you stop and think about that, undoubtedly, probably, many played and prayed during the time of Noah's flood, but it was too late. Probably some prayed as the fire fell and the brimstone fell in Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain, but it was really too late. And some even prayed probably as that tower of Siloam fell when 18 were killed, but it was too late.

[John Weaver] You know, the Bible says in Isaiah 55 and verse 6, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Obviously, there is a time when he may not be found and there is a time when he is not near. And so what God is telling us, and what David is telling us, is our prayers need to be timely, and oftentimes they need to be urgent as well. As you look at Psalm 12, and I do want you to look at Psalm 12 with me tonight, Psalm 12 reveals an example as to when our prayers should not only be urgent, but also should be timely. It is a time when the wicked are in control, when they are prospering, when they are spreading universal corruption, It is a time when there is arrogance and haughtiness and pride. It is a time when the righteous are persecuted and in grave bodily danger. It's a time of faithlessness, idolatry, blasphemy, and ridicule. I want you to see some of these things in Psalm 12.

[John Weaver] First of all, I want you to note in verse 1, a passionate petition. Watch if you would in verse 1. David says, Help, Lord! For the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men." I like the way David begins his prayer. It's a prayer that's full of urgency. It's a prayer that's full of passion. He does not waste time or his breath on formality. He does not have time to do so. The situation is extremely dangerous, and he's very passionate and he's very urgent, and all he says is, help, Lord! Have you ever been in a situation when that's all you could say? That's all you could do? This petition kind of reminds me of Peter's prayer as he began to sink beneath the waves there in Matthew chapter 14 and verse 30. The Bible says, when he saw the wind was boisterous and he was frayed and he was beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me! What? Peter did not have time to say, Now, our Father, we come to Thee and we do this and we do that.

[John Weaver] There's nothing wrong with that. But I'm just simply saying here was a time of urgency. And Peter understood if the Lord Jesus Christ did not save him and catch him instantly, he was a goner. It's the same thing here in Psalm 12. David is understanding the fact that he needs help and he needs help urgently. And so he just cries out in extreme passion, help, Lord. Now, the word help is actually the same word for save. So David is not just simply crying out for God's help, he is, but he's also crying out for God's salvation. The word help here is largely used for all manner of saving, helping, delivering, and preserving. And David realizes the desperate situation in which he is in, and in which he is living, and he cries out to God.

[John Weaver] You know, one of the problems that we have today is we really and truly do not realize the times in which we are living. We really do not perceive the danger in which we are in. I really think that some of these riots and some of these demonstrations are beginning to open some people's eyes. And we're beginning to see, on the one hand, we're not the ones in control of situations.

[John Weaver] And anything can happen just about any time. And the problem is this. We do not see the world that's falling apart all around us. We live in our little cubicle, we live in our own little world, and everything is hunky-dory in our world, but we just do not notice everything that is happening all around us. We do not perceive the danger that we are in, or the danger in which we are faced.

[John Weaver] When David cried, Help Lord, he understood that no human help would be sufficient. He understood that no government could help him. He understood that the only help, the only salvation, would be coming from God. And that help was needed, and it was needed now. It was urgently needed. And if God did not help him, then all hope was gone. So, his very cry indicates that only God can take care of the situation. So he begins his prayer, Help, Lord.

[John Weaver] So you have to ask yourself this question. What was it that disturbed David so greatly? What was it that made him petition God so passionately? Well, there are answers to that question. And if you look in verse one, you will find one of the answers. He says, help, Lord, for the godly man ceases for the fateful fail from among the children of men. Let me ask you a question.

[John Weaver] We were talking about this before service. But has the deterioration of the church ever really bothered you? Have you ever really been concerned about how few real biblical preachers there are? Has it ever upset you that most churches know nothing of biblical standards? They know nothing of God's law. They know nothing about how to live holily and godly. They know nothing about obedience and submission. Has it ever upset you that faithful men, godly men, and I'm not just talking about preachers, But faithful men and godly men are few and hard to find in our day and time. Now, I understand there are some, but they are few and far between. And have you ever contemplated that when upstanding and righteous and godly men perish, no one rises up to take their place? David saw that the godly and faithful men were ceasing.

[John Weaver] That is, they were failing. They were coming to an end in his society. Men of principle, men of character and integrity, as well as men of faith were becoming less and less. Why? Well, one answer is surely some were dying. But I want you to hold Psalm 12, but look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 57 and verse 1. And it's not just that godly men were dying, but the point is, why were they dying? And look at one of the answers it's given us in the Bible. Isaiah 57 and verse 1, God says it like this, The righteous perisheth, and no man laith at the heart. And merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." Isn't that amazing? The righteous man perishes and no man lays it to heart. No man thinks about godly men disappearing. No one thinks about godly men are gone. No one takes it to heart. Merciful men are taken away, and they don't even consider that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

[John Weaver] In other words, God sovereignly, graciously, and mercifully removes some of His choicest servants, so they will not face the evil that is to come. If you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of 2 Kings, chapter 22, you'll see that God gave this promise to Josiah. There is a great revival under Josiah. And notice if you would in 2 Kings chapter 22, and we'll begin reading there with verse 18. 2 Kings 22 verse 18. Notice what God says.

[John Weaver] But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you send him. Thus said the Lord God of Israel, as touching the words which thou must heard, Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast ripped thy clothes, and wept before me, I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place." And they brought the king word again." Isn't that amazing? The righteous man perishes and no man lays at the heart.

[John Weaver] Merciful men are taken away. and none consider that the righteous is taken from the evil that is to come." So sometimes God just simply removes the righteous so they will not see what's coming down the pike. Secondly, you have to consider this, that when God does indeed remove righteous, godly, and faithful men, when He removes them, Evil cannot help but come because now there are fewer to expose it and to fight against it and to decry against it. Society usually becomes more corrupt when righteous men are taken away. Without righteous men, there cannot possibly be a righteous influence.

[John Weaver] This is why David is being so moved. Help, Lord. Help, Lord. The godly man seetheth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. The Bible says in Proverbs 11 in verse 8, the righteous is delivered out of his trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead. Well, now you say that's good. Yes, it's good that the righteous is delivered out of trouble, but when wicked men fall into trouble, they usually cause more trouble because they are corrupt and they act corruptly, and they're going to do whatever is necessary to get themselves out of the trouble. You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 28 in verse 12, When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory. But when the wicked rise, a man is hidden. When the wicked rise, a man is hidden. The rise of the wicked always causes mourning among the righteous. Because in Proverbs 29, verse 2, the Bible says, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn. Hmm.

[John Weaver] Let me just tell you what I'm talking about. Look in Atlanta, Georgia today. Look in Montgomery, Alabama. Look in Washington, D.C. and endeavor to find righteous men with character, integrity, honor, faith, and men that will stand for biblical truth and biblical principles that are laid out in the Word of God. Where are they? Well, you say, I know one. Well, so do I. Where are the rest? We can name one or we might name two, but where are they? Just look around and try to find them. Look in the business world. Look at the church world. I don't care where you look. Unhappily.

[John Weaver] Some of the worst individuals are preachers.

[John Weaver] When godliness goes, faithfulness inevitably follows. Without the fear of God, there is no love of the truth. Common honesty is no longer common. And common irreligion always leads to universal godlessness and corruption. The effects And the loss of godly men are clearly revealed to us in the Bible. I want you to hold Psalm 12, but turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah. The little book of Micah. So you'll have Amos, and Obadiah, and Jonah, and Micah. Look in the book of Micah, chapter 7, if you would, and let's just try to read the first seven verses. Micah, chapter 7, beginning with verse 1. I want you to note what the scripture is teaching us here about the loss of godly men. Notice, if you would, Micah 7, beginning with verse 1. Micah says, Woe is me, for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the great gleanings of the vintage.

[John Weaver] There is no cluster to eat. My soul desire the first ripe fruit, but there's nothing around. And then he says this. The good man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men. They all lie and wait for blood, they hunt every man his brother with a net, that they may do evil with both hands earnestly. The prince asketh, and the judge asketh for reward, and the great man, he utters his mischievous desire, so they wrap it up.

[John Weaver] The best of them is a briar. The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge. The day of thy watchman and thy visitation cometh.

[John Weaver] Now shall be there perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put you not confidence in a guide. Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, and the daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies are the men of his own house. What is he talking about? He's talking about a time in society where there is no character, there is no honesty. In other words, he's talking about the same thing that David is. Help, Lord, for the godly man seeth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men.

[John Weaver] It's something that should make us cry out urgently and passionately for. It's kind of like our Lord says, Pray ye that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest. But they have to be His laborers. And they have to be men in whom you can place trust. We, like David, should be crying, Help, Lord! Yeah. Because the godly man ceaseth and the faithful fail from among the children of men. That's a good reason to pray.

[John Weaver] But go back to Psalm 12. Here's a second reason David was crying out so passionately. I want you to note a proud populace. You'll find this in verses 2 through 4. He says, they speak vanity every one with his neighbor, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things, who have said, with our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us.

[John Weaver] Now, these verses demonstrate clearly the result of the loss of godly and faithful men. And where godliness declines, corruption and wickedness rise. Let me explain it like this. Where there is no fear of God, There's not going to be any regard for man. There's a passage that's been quoted several times this week, Luke chapter 18, when the Lord said that men ought always to pray and not to faint. And then He said there was a judge in a certain city who feared not God, neither regarded man. So if you don't fear God, there's not going to be any regard for man. And when that widow woman coming to that judge and saying, avenge me, my adversary. The judge finally said, though I fear not God, nor have no regard for man, yet I'm going to avenge this woman, lest by her continual coming, she weary me. In other words, he could care one thing less about God and one thing less about man. He couldn't even care about the widow woman. The only thing he was concerned about was himself.

[John Weaver] Get her off my back. That's all. Where there is no fear of God, there is no regard for man. I want you to watch this. Look in verse 2. He says, They speak vanity every one with his neighbor. That is lying. With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. So verse 2 tells us that when godly and faithful men fail, truth and honesty fail, and lies and dishonesty and a double heart arises. Literally, the Hebrew is a heart and a heart.

[John Weaver] That is, someone with two hearts. What's the explanation of a double heart? Well, a double heart is when someone says one thing, but he actually means something else. Or, he says one thing and does something totally different. Man, he's saying in verse 2, is full of insincerity, falsehood, hypocrisy, both in regard to himself and in regard to others. There's numerous illustrations of this given in the Bible.

[John Weaver] You must remember that which Cain did to Abel, what Joab did to Amasa and to Abner, what the Herodians did to Christ, what Judas did to his master, what false teachers do to the simple, and what hypocrites do to God. What's the hypocrite? He's one that says one thing and then lives another. Dishonest? Yes. Verse 2 also reveals that there is a connection between flattery and treachery. Notice, he says, they speak vanity, everyone with his neighbor, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. So flattery and a double heart always equal treachery. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Hold Psalm 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 9. Jeremiah chapter 9. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Jeremiah 9, verse 4. Look what it says. Jeremiah 9, verse 4. Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust you not in any brother. For every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders, and they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity." Wow! The flatterer has one heart to give utterance to the words which he uses toward his neighbor, and another that conceals his real intent, purpose, and design.

[John Weaver] Therefore, no confidence can be placed in such persons. And they actually believe that they can flatter and deceive and lie themselves out of any situation or circumstance. Well, look in verse 3. Look in verse 3. After he talks about all these flattering lips, verse 3 says, the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Flattering lips are lying lips, treacherous lips, wicked lips, and also arrogant lips. I want you to note, such lips are unafraid to challenge man or to challenge God.

[John Weaver] You remember Psalm 73, Asap had a problem. He was envious of the wicked. And he describes the wicked. But he also says this about the wicked. Listen carefully. They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily. They set their mouths against the heaven and with their tongue they walketh through the earth. So he is saying these wicked, deceitful flatterers who trust in their own lips are not afraid to curse God or curse.

[John Weaver] It doesn't matter to them. No wonder the Apostle Jude called them raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame. So David said the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Have you ever noticed that James was correct when he said the tongue no man can tame? Men cannot tame the tongues, especially the tongues of such boastful flatterers. The Lord's remedy for such is sharp, but it is sure.

[John Weaver] It is an unanswerable answer. And that is. He will cut off. Those that speak proud things, the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and those that speak proud things, God said, I'll just remove them. I'll take them out. Let me show you the height of their arrogance. Look in verse four. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us?

[John Weaver] Now, this does not mean that they had formally announced open defiance to God. They did not need to do so, because their lives evidenced that rebellious conduct and that defiance. They acted as if they were the real principle on which they framed their lives and that everything else existed around them, and they used their tongues as they pleased. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? In other words, it was by their tongue that they expected to accomplish all of their purposes.

[John Weaver] It was not with direct power particularly. It was not by violence particularly, but by the power of speech. In other words, here's what they said, we will do mightily. We can talk anyone into anything. We can get people to do exactly what we want them to do. We will just simply use our tongue, the power of our speech. We will influence others. By the way, if you don't think the wicked are doing this, just turn on CNN or any media today. Pick up any newspaper.

[John Weaver] Go to any government school. We're churning out little humanists left and right. So their attitude is our lips are our own. In other words, we can say what we want to do. No one has the right to control what we think, what we say and what we do. Our lips are our own. And since they claim their lips are their own, then the next question is very logical.

[John Weaver] Who is Lord over us? We are our own gods. We say what we want to say, we do what we want to do. So like Pharaoh, they refused to recognize God's absolute sovereignty and his rule over them. You remember when Moses came to Pharaoh in Exodus chapter five and said, Thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me. In verse two, Pharaoh responded, Who is the Lord?

[John Weaver] that I should obey him. I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Notice what he said. Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I don't know him. I don't recognize him. You have to remember that those plagues in Egypt were against the false gods of Egypt and Pharaoh himself claimed to be a god. And that's why His firstborn died too, because He could not even protect His own child. He could not protect anyone's child. And so they are saying, our lips are open, who is Lord over us? A wicked and corrupt and godless populace refuses to acknowledge God, and they attempt to control their own lives, listen to me, and they attempt to control the lives of others, while on the one hand they're saying, God is not sovereign, God has no right over my lips, God has no right over my life, at the same time they're saying, but I have rights over everyone else's lives, and I can lie, and I can...

[John Weaver] Flatter and I can deceive and I can do whatever I want to to influence them to get them to live the way I want them to live. Well, obviously they're playing God. Look what happens in verse 8. I'm just going to mention it here. He says the wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted. So you let these men get in positions of power and leadership and the wicked walk on every side.

[John Weaver] Now for the child of God, we have to remember that everything we are and everything we have belongs to the Lord. You remember what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19 and 20? He said, What? What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God's.

[John Weaver] To whom do your lips belong? God. To whom does your tongue belong, God? Everything you are, everything you have belongs to him.

[John Weaver] Now, the wicked may say our tongues are our own, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us, they may say that. But that does not mean that they actually have control over their own lips and lives. No, God does. Let me ask you this. David had this passionate petition. Help, Lord. For the godly man ceases and the faithful fail from among the children of men.

[John Weaver] And then he discusses this proud populace. Everybody's so arrogant. What is it? What would be the consequence of having a society like that? Well, you'll find it in verse 5. Look at it. Here's a persecuted people. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. When the wicked reign, persecution and oppression or inevitable. The Hebrew word is variously translated for oppression here as spoil, destruction, desolation, robbery, wasting, and oppression. It always speaks of havoc, violence, ruin, destruction, and devastation. So the pride and the haughtiness that you see in verses 2 through 4 always leads to the persecution of the poor and the needy. Now, notice if you would, in verse five, he says, for the oppression of the poor. When you and I think about poor people. We think of someone who has.

[John Weaver] An insufficient amount of money. We're poor. That is not what the scripture is talking about here. The Hebrew word for poor is one that is translated in our Bibles as poor, afflicted, weak, lowly, humble, and needy. So it's not just someone who does not have money that is being persecuted. It's someone who happens to be weak, lowly, humble, and needy. It means, therefore, that the wicked who think that their lips are their own, who are full of pride and arrogance and haughtiness, that they now persecute and they prosecute and they oppress anyone that is helpless, that does not have the power or the ability to fight back.

[John Weaver] I've talked to so many people who've been so wrongly acted upon by the powers that be. And I would ask, why do you not fight? And the answer always comes back, I don't have the money. I don't have the time to do this. I don't have the money to do it. It costs money to hire attorneys. They know that.

[John Weaver] Now when he says in verse 5, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, the word sighing actually indicates crying and groaning. It speaks of real lamentation and woe. So the persecution and the oppression are real and genuine. And then the next word is the needy. And the needy refers to those who are in want, those who are in need, those who need deliverance, those who need help from trouble, those who need to be delivered from God. So he says, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord. And then he says this, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Wow! Those individuals who think that their lips are their own, and that their tongue is their own, and who speak proudly and arrogantly and who end up persecuting the poor and the needy, God says, I'm going to rise and I'm going to set the poor and the needy in safety from him that puffeth

[John Weaver] at him. And the word puffet literally means to puff, to blow, and to snort. So let me put it to you like this. All the wicked are doing are blowing hot air. And God says, I'm going to take care of that. They're blowing hot air. They really cannot accomplish their desire. They can persecute. Yes, they can oppress. Yes. But they cannot accomplish their desire. In Psalm 64, verse 1, David prayed, Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer.

[John Weaver] Preserve my life from the enemy. Here's an interesting verse, and I would encourage you to memorize it. I would encourage you to pray it. Psalm 79, verse 11. For the prayer is, Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. according to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die." I pray that prayer frequently, especially for the brethren who have been wrongly imprisoned and imprisoned for the faith's sake, those who rid those Islamic countries God said, Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. According to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die.

[John Weaver] So you have a persecuted populace whenever you have the disappearance of godly, faithful men. And then you have proud, arrogant individuals rise. And then, of course, they persecute.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at verses 6 and 7. This is why I preached the message tonight. I had to preach those verses to get to verses 6 and 7. You have, fourthly, here, a preserved prosperity. A preserved prosperity. Now listen. Look in verse 6. The words of the Lord are pure words. As silver tried in the furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. So here is the whole point of the message. Listen carefully. If this does not make you want to pray.

[John Weaver] I really don't know what will. having declared that his words were pure words as silver tried in the furnace of the earth, purified seven times, which is the absolute height of perfection, he then makes this astonishing statement in verse 7, Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.

[John Weaver] Now, my question is this. What is to be kept and preserved from this generation? Now, in the remote context of Psalm 12, we might say, well, that which is going to be preserved and protected is God's people and the poor and the needy. They've already been talked about in this psalm, and that is true. If you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 72, you will notice again, and this is stated so many times in Scripture, but here it's stated very plainly. Notice Psalm 72, beginning there with verse 11. Psalm 72, verse 11.

[John Weaver] Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him. We're talking about our Lord. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth the poor also in him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and the needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight."

[John Weaver] Well, certainly God is going to protect and preserve His own. That is in the remote context. However, I think in the immediate context, We need to see exactly what he's saying. Look in verse 6 again. The words of the Lord. That's what we're talking about. His Word. The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of the earth purified seven times. Now look what he says. Thou shalt keep them. Them what? Those words. Thou shalt keep thy words, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. What? What? God is going to keep His words from this evil, wicked, depraved generation. Well, they despise Him. They deny Him. They denigrate Him.

[John Weaver] Why should He speak to them? They have just said, our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? We don't recognize You. We are our own God. We do what we think and what we need to do. That's it. Let me ask you a question. If God commands us in Matthew 7 and verse 6, give not that which is holy unto the dogs, Neither cast you your perils before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you, if God commands us not to give that which is holy to the dogs and to the hogs." Do you think God's going to violate that principle Himself? Do you think God's going to turn around and throw His words which are holy and pure to the dogs and to the hogs.

[John Weaver] You remember Samuel was raised up because of Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. You can read about them, how wicked and vile they were, especially Hophni and Phinehas. They were the priests of the Lord. And God got a hold of Eli because He restrained them not. But listen to what God said to Eli. I Samuel 2 and verse 30. Wherefore the Lord God of Israel said, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before Me forever. But now, the Lord said, be it far from Me. For them that honor Me will I honor, saith the Lord, and those that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. What did you tell Eli? You've dishonored me. Your sons have dishonored me. In fact, you despised me, and now you're going to be lightly esteemed in light of that principle. Is it any wonder now that you read in 1 Samuel chapter 3 and verse 1, now listen carefully, and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days.

[John Weaver] There was no open vision. If I had an hour, I would take you through the Bible and show you what an open vision was. It has nothing to do with dreams. It has nothing to do with trances. Let me explain it like this. Here's what he said. The Word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open preaching. There was no public preaching. How could there be?

[John Weaver] Eli and his sons were wicked and wrong. There was no public preaching. Why? Because of corruption in the priesthood and the rebellion of the people. God was not going to give His Word to people who despised His Word. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Amos chapter 8. I know you know this passage. But I want you to see it in light of what I'm preaching. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Amos chapter 8.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading there verse 11. You know the verse, Amos 8 verse 11. God says, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east, and they shall run to and fro and seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it. God said there's going to be a famine. a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. Why would God give His Word to people who do not want His Word? You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 1 and verse 7, listen carefully, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 13 and verse 13, Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 30.

[John Weaver] Isaiah chapter 30. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Isaiah 30. Look if you would please at verse 9. Isaiah 30, verse 9, watch, that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord, which say to the seers, see not, and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore, thus saith the Holy One of Israel, because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon, Therefore, this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out at a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant, and he shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces.

[John Weaver] He shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water of the pit." Note, if you would, they said we don't care one thing about the Word of God. Turn him away from us. Get out of the way. We don't want to hear this stuff. Is it any wonder there's so little real and true preaching and exposition of the Word of God, especially in this corrupt and rebellious generation? Note, if you would, go back, please, to Psalm 12. Look in Psalm 12. Look what God says in verse 7.

[John Weaver] Remember now, He's talked all about the wickedness of this society and the wickedness of this nation. So in verse 7, He said, Thou shalt keep them. That is the words of the Lord. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. Everyone knows there are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament. There was a period of time between the Old Testament and the New Testament. That period of time was 400 years. And it's known as the 400 silent years. God did not speak for 400 years. He spoke through the Old Testament, but there was no new revelation until Jesus Christ came. Now when the Scripture says, Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation. What generation? The generation that David was talking about. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.

[John Weaver] So here's why I said, if this does not make you want to pray, I don't know what will. If the Word of God is kept and preserved from a people, there will generally be no reviving, no revival, no repentance, no faith, and very few conversions. Yes, I believe there will be a little, because God is faithful. God is not going to leave Himself without witness. He will always have the 7,000 that have never bowed the knee to Baal. I understand that. But generally speaking, if God withholds His word, everything will be lost in every area, in every sphere.

[John Weaver] Where there is no truth, only lies and perversions will prevail. Where there is no righteousness, only evil will prevail. Where there is no godliness, only corruption will prevail. I want you to think about this. God does not need to send fire from heaven and brimstone and destroy us as he did Solomon Gomorrah. He does not need to send a flood as he did in Noah's day. He does not need to send the Russian army or the Chinese army. No. If God desires to destroy us, all he has to do is withhold his word and his grace and we'll destroy ourselves.

[John Weaver] I cannot even fathom what it would be like to live where the Word of God is not. And yet you look at societies and cultures and nations today that still do not have the Word of God. And look at their backwardness. Look at the murder and the rape and the pillage. Look at all of that.

[John Weaver] God does not need to send fire from heaven. If He just withholds and preserves His Word, we're goners. Two applications. The first one is this. We need to learn to cry and to pray urgently and desperately and readily for God to help and save. I got news for you, folks. We're in more trouble in this country than you can shake a stick at. You don't realize it yet. But if God in his sovereign providence and grace and mercy does not do something, you talk about anarchy. You don't have civil war again. Yeah.

[John Weaver] Because you look at the people who say our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? We say and do what we want to say and what we want to do. When the godly cease from a society, when the faithful fail from a society, the only thing you have left is corruption and unfaithfulness and ungodliness. We need to learn to cry like David. Help, Lord. Help, Lord. Help, Lord! Help, Lord! Because only God can straighten us out. It should alarm us. It should really and truly terrify us that God could withhold His Word from us.

[John Weaver] You remember when God judged Israel in the days of Elijah? Elijah stood and said to Ahab, As the Lord liveth wherewith I stand, there shall not be rain nor dew these years, but low according to my word. And what did God do? God took Elijah and sent him out of the land to a widow woman's house in Zarephath. God sent him out of the land. The drought was just a physical picture of a spiritual reality. The drought of water signified the drought of the Word of God. Why? Because the prophet of God was not even in the country. Ahab and Jezebel had killed Most of them, except those whom Obadiah hid in a cave. When God starts moving his preachers out of a country, you better pay attention. Are you listening? He doesn't even have to drive us out of the country. When you look at Jeremiah, God left him in the country.

[John Weaver] But what did he tell him? Pray not for this people. Kneel, lift up, cry for this people, for I will not hear thee. And all God did to Jeremiah was just shut his mouth. I hope you're beginning to see why David began his prayer With help, Lord. Oh, God, help. Help. We're in such a desperate strait. Only you can straighten us out. I believe that God is going to give us victory in time and in history. But that does not mean that we will not see his hand of judgment upon a wicked nation and a wicked people who hate and despise his word. It should make you want to pray. when you consider that God could withhold His Word from a society, from a culture, from a people. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your warnings.

[John Weaver] We know that Thou art holy. and just. And Lord, we do not deserve the least of Thy mercies. How little we oftentimes value Thy Word and the preaching of Thy Gospel. We take it for granted. O Lord, help us to love Thee. Help us to love Thy Word. Help us to love the preaching of the Gospel. And Lord, teach us to pray, Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth and the faithful fail from among the children of men. And Lord, only You can change that.

[John Weaver] Grant repentance and grant faith and mercy. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Amen.

Does This Make You Want to Pray

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	821171928610
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2017-08-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	79

Formatted Transcript

Opening

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 12. Psalm 12. We're going to read the entire Psalm, only eight verses. Psalm 12. The title of the message is, Does This Make You Want to Pray? Look in Psalm 12, verse one. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth. For the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbor. With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the furnace of the earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted." We've had an entire conference on prayer. And when it comes to prayer, most of us pray, but I'm sure that each one of us would probably admit that we do not pray as we should. And it is indeed possible to be in an attitude of prayer, even when we cannot be on our knees in prayer. But the truth of the matter is we oftentimes miss many opportunities to pray. It is possible to pray before you sleep on your bed. It is possible to pray as soon as you awake and David did so and he used every opportunity to pray.

For instance in Psalm 63 and verse 6 he said, when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate upon thee in the night watches. So whenever David laid down the first thing he did was remember God and pray and meditate on him during the night watches. He said in Psalm 119, verse 148, Mine eyes prevent or precede the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word. So usually while he was lying in bed, he would meditate on the Word of God. Early morning, even before we get out of bed, is another time to pray and to seek the Lord as we just simply lie there. We should start our day with the Lord. Psalm 63, verse 1, David said, O God, my God, early will I seek Thee.

My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. And then Isaiah, in Isaiah 26 and verse 9 said, With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. So David certainly had stated times of prayer. The Bible tells us in Psalm 55 and verse 17, evening and morning at noon will I pray and cry aloud and thou shalt hear my voice. So David not only prayed as he lay upon his bed early morning at night, but also three times a day as well. I want you to look, whole Psalm 12, but look in Psalm 32 because David gives us some interesting instruction concerning prayer. In Psalm 32 at verses 5 and 6. Psalm 32 verses 5 and 6. Watch carefully.

This is another one of those penitential psalms. David said in verse 5, I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. Surely in floods of great waters they shall not come nigh, Now I want you to notice several things about this passage. First, David said that everyone that is godly will acknowledge and confess his sins. Second, he also said that the prayer of the godly would be in a time when God could be found. The implication is very clear that there are times when God may not be found or cannot be found.

Many individuals falsely and erroneously think and assume that their access to God is always going to be unhindered and unfettered. They're wrong. Thirdly, I want you to note what he said in verse 6. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto thee. In other words, the floods of great waters indicates times of great calamity. During these times of great calamity, you will be filled with stress and distress and anguish and sickness and sometimes even death that will prevent people from coming unto the Lord. Oftentimes when you and I are hurting or when there is something very grievous unto us, the only thing that we can think about is that which is hurting us and that which is grieving unto us. You remember it was Stonewall Jackson who was wounded at Chancellorsville. And as he was being rushed to the rear on a litter, Lieutenant Smith's foot got caught in a vine and he tripped and Stonewall Jackson fell on that already mangled arm and he let out one little piteous groan. Lieutenant Smith asked him, are you all right? He said, Lieutenant Smith, don't concern yourself about me. Later on, when his arm was amputated and He was recovering. He said it was a very precious thing to him to find out that he was brought face to face with death and was able to concentrate upon the Lord. He actually said he thought he was going to die when he fell from that litter.

And then he said this, that I have found that a man who has been converted by the grace of God can concentrate on God and spiritual things, but someone who had never been converted would be under so much pain and anguish and stress, he could not focus his mind upon the Lord. That's exactly what David is talking about. Surely in the times of great waters, they will not come nigh unto thee. When you stop and think about that, undoubtedly, probably, many prayed during the time of Noah's flood, but it was too late. Probably some prayed as the fire fell and the brimstone fell in Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain, but it was really too late. And some even prayed probably as that tower of Siloam fell when 18 were killed, but it was too late.

You know, the Bible says in Isaiah 55 and verse 6, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Obviously, there is a time when he may not be found and there is a time when he is not near. And so what God is telling us, and what David is telling us, is our prayers need to be timely, and oftentimes they need to be urgent as well. As you look at Psalm 12, and I do want you to look at Psalm 12 with me tonight, Psalm 12 reveals an example as to when our prayers should not only be urgent, but also should be timely. It is a time when the wicked are in control, when they are prospering, when they are spreading universal corruption, It is a time when there is arrogance and haughtiness and pride. It is a time when the righteous are persecuted and in grave bodily danger. It's a time of faithlessness, idolatry, blasphemy, and ridicule. I want you to see some of these things in Psalm 12.

A Passionate Petition (Psalm 12:1)

David cries urgently, 'Help, Lord,' because godly and faithful men are disappearing from society, leaving a vacuum of righteousness.

First of all, I want you to note in verse 1, a passionate petition. Watch if you would in verse 1. David says, Help, Lord! For the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men." I like the way David begins his prayer. It's a prayer that's full of urgency. It's a prayer that's full of passion. He does not waste time or his breath on formality. He does not have time to do so. The situation is extremely dangerous, and he's very passionate and he's very urgent, and all he says is, help, Lord! Have you ever been in a situation when that's all you could say? That's all you could do? This petition kind of reminds me of Peter's prayer as he began to sink beneath the waves there in Matthew chapter 14 and verse 30. The Bible says, when he saw the wind was boisterous and he was afraid and he was beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me! What? Peter did not have time to say, Now, our Father, we come to Thee and we do this and we do that.

There's nothing wrong with that. But I'm just simply saying here was a time of urgency. And Peter understood if the Lord Jesus Christ did not save him and catch him instantly, he was a goner. It's the same thing here in Psalm 12. David is understanding the fact that he needs help and he needs help urgently. And so he just cries out in extreme passion, help, Lord. Now, the word help is actually the same word for save. So David is not just simply crying out for God's help, he is, but he's also crying out for God's salvation. The word help here is largely used for all manner of saving, helping, delivering, and preserving. And David realizes the desperate situation in which he is in, and in which he is living, and he cries out to God.

You know, one of the problems that we have today is we really and truly do not realize the times in which we are living. We really do not perceive the danger in which we are in. I really think that some of these riots and some of these demonstrations are beginning to open some people's eyes. And we're beginning to see, on the one hand, we're not the ones in control of situations. And anything can happen just about any time. And the problem is this. We do not see the world that's falling apart all around us. We live in our little cubicle, we live in our own little world, and everything is hunky-dory in our world, but we just do not notice everything that is happening all around us. We do not perceive the danger that we are in, or the danger in which we are faced.

When David cried, Help Lord, he understood that no human help would be sufficient. He understood that no government could help him. He understood that the only help, the only salvation, would be coming from God. And that help was needed, and it was needed now. It was urgently needed. And if God did not help him, then all hope was gone. So, his very cry indicates that only God can take care of the situation. So he begins his prayer, Help, Lord.

So you have to ask yourself this question. What was it that disturbed David so greatly? What was it that made him petition God so passionately? Well, there are answers to that question. And if you look in verse one, you will find one of the answers. He says, help, Lord, for the godly man ceases for the faithful fail from among the children of men. Let me ask you a question.

A Proud Populace (Psalm 12:2-4)

The loss of godly men leads to a society marked by lying, flattery, double-heartedness, and arrogant defiance of God.

But go back to Psalm 12. Here's a second reason David was crying out so passionately. I want you to note a proud populace. You'll find this in verses 2 through 4. He says, they speak vanity every one with his neighbor, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things, who have said, with our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us.

Now, these verses demonstrate clearly the result of the loss of godly and faithful men. And where godliness declines, corruption and wickedness rise. Let me explain it like this. Where there is no fear of God, There's not going to be any regard for man. There's a passage that's been quoted several times this week, Luke chapter 18, when the Lord said that men ought always to pray and not to faint. And then He said there was a judge in a certain city who feared not God, neither regarded man. So if you don't fear God, there's not going to be any regard for man. And when that widow woman coming to that judge and saying, avenge me, my adversary. The judge finally said, though I fear not God, nor have no regard for man, yet I'm going to avenge this woman, lest by her continual coming, she weary me. In other words, he could care one thing less about God and one thing less about man. He couldn't even care about the widow woman. The only thing he was concerned about was himself.

Get her off my back. That's all. Where there is no fear of God, there is no regard for man. I want you to watch this. Look in verse 2. He says, They speak vanity every one with his neighbor. That is lying. With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. So verse 2 tells us that when godly and faithful men fail, truth and honesty fail, and lies and dishonesty and a double heart arises. Literally, the Hebrew is a heart and a heart.

That is, someone with two hearts. What's the explanation of a double heart? Well, a double heart is when someone says one thing, but he actually means something else. Or, he says one thing and does something totally different. Man, he's saying in verse 2, is full of insincerity, falsehood, hypocrisy, both in regard to himself and in regard to others. There's numerous illustrations of this given in the Bible. You must remember that which Cain did to Abel, what Joab did to Amasa and to Abner, what the Herodians did to Christ, what Judas did to his master, what false teachers do to the simple, and what hypocrites do to God. What's the hypocrite? He's one that says one thing and then lives another. Dishonest? Yes. Verse 2 also reveals that there is a connection between flattery and treachery. Notice, he says, they speak vanity, everyone with his neighbor, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. So flattery and a double heart always equal treachery. Let me show you.

Hold Psalm 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 9. Jeremiah chapter 9. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Jeremiah 9, verse 4. Look what it says. Jeremiah 9, verse 4.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 9:4-5

Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust you not in any brother. For every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders, and they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity."

Wow! The flatterer has one heart to give utterance to the words which he uses toward his neighbor, and another that conceals his real intent, purpose, and design.

Therefore, no confidence can be placed in such persons. And they actually believe that they can flatter and deceive and lie themselves out of any situation or circumstance. Well, look in verse 3. Look in verse 3. After he talks about all these flattering lips, verse 3 says, the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Flattering lips are lying lips, treacherous lips, wicked lips, and also arrogant lips. I want you to note, such lips are unafraid to challenge man or to challenge God.

You remember Psalm 73, Asaph had a problem. He was envious of the wicked. And he describes the wicked. But he also says this about the wicked. Listen carefully. They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily. They set their mouths against the heaven and with their tongue they walketh through the earth. So he is saying these wicked, deceitful flatterers who trust in their own lips are not afraid to curse God or curse.

It doesn't matter to them. No wonder the Apostle Jude called them raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame. So David said the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Have you ever noticed that James was correct when he said the tongue no man can tame? Men cannot tame the tongues, especially the tongues of such boastful flatterers. The Lord's remedy for such is sharp, but it is sure. It is an unanswerable answer. And that is. He will cut off. Those that speak proud things, the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and those that speak proud things, God said, I'll just remove them. I'll take them out. Let me show you the height of their arrogance. Look in verse four. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us?

Now, this does not mean that they had formally announced open defiance to God. They did not need to do so, because their lives evidenced that rebellious conduct and that defiance. They acted as if they were the real principle on which they framed their lives and that everything else existed around them, and they used their tongues as they pleased. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? In other words, it was by their tongue that they expected to accomplish all of their purposes. It was not with direct power particularly. It was not by violence particularly, but by the power of speech. In other words, here's what they said, we will do mightily. We can talk anyone into anything. We can get people to do exactly what we want them to do. We will just simply use our tongue, the power of our speech. We will influence others. By the way, if you don't think the wicked are doing this, just turn on CNN or any media today. Pick up any newspaper.

Go to any government school. We're churning out little humanists left and right. So their attitude is our lips are our own. In other words, we can say what we want to do. No one has the right to control what we think, what we say and what we do. Our lips are our own. And since they claim their lips are their own, then the next question is very logical.

Who is Lord over us? We are our own gods. We say what we want to say, we do what we want to do. So like Pharaoh, they refused to recognize God's absolute sovereignty and his rule over them. You remember when Moses came to Pharaoh in Exodus chapter five and said, Thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me. In verse two, Pharaoh responded, Who is the Lord?

A Persecuted People (Psalm 12:5)

The oppression and groaning of the poor and needy result from the reign of the wicked, but God promises to arise and set them in safety.

And then he discusses this proud populace. Everybody's so arrogant. What is it? What would be the consequence of having a society like that? Well, you'll find it in verse 5. Look at it. Here's a persecuted people. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. When the wicked reign, persecution and oppression or inevitable. The Hebrew word is variously translated for oppression here as spoil, destruction, desolation, robbery, wasting, and oppression. It always speaks of havoc, violence, ruin, destruction, and devastation. So the pride and the haughtiness that you see in verses 2 through 4 always leads to the persecution of the poor and the needy. Now, notice if you would, in verse five, he says, for the oppression of the poor. When you and I think about poor people. We think of someone who has.

An insufficient amount of money. We're poor. That is not what the scripture is talking about here. The Hebrew word for poor is one that is translated in our Bibles as poor, afflicted, weak, lowly, humble, and needy. So it's not just someone who does not have money that is being persecuted. It's someone who happens to be weak, lowly, humble, and needy. It means, therefore, that the wicked who think that their lips are their own, who are full of pride and arrogance and haughtiness, that they now persecute and they prosecute and they oppress anyone that is helpless, that does not have the power or the ability to fight back.

I've talked to so many people who've been so wrongly acted upon by the powers that be. And I would ask, why do you not fight? And the answer always comes back, I don't have the money. I don't have the time to do this. I don't have the money to do it. It costs money to hire attorneys. They know that.

Now when he says in verse 5, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, the word sighing actually indicates crying and groaning. It speaks of real lamentation and woe. So the persecution and the oppression are real and genuine. And then the next word is the needy. And the needy refers to those who are in want, those who are in need, those who need deliverance, those who need help from trouble, those who need to be delivered from God. So he says, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord. And then he says this, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Wow! Those individuals who think that their lips are their own, and that their tongue is their own, and who speak proudly and arrogantly and who end up persecuting the poor and the needy, God says, I'm going to rise and I'm going to set the poor and the needy in safety from him that puffeth

at him. And the word puffeth literally means to puff, to blow, and to snort. So let me put it to you like this. All the wicked are doing are blowing hot air. And God says, I'm going to take care of that. They're blowing hot air. They really cannot accomplish their desire. They can persecute. Yes, they can oppress. Yes. But they cannot accomplish their desire. In Psalm 64, verse 1, David prayed, Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer.

Preserve my life from the enemy. Here's an interesting verse, and I would encourage you to memorize it. I would encourage you to pray it. Psalm 79, verse 11. For the prayer is, Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. according to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die." I pray that prayer frequently, especially for the brethren who have been wrongly imprisoned and imprisoned for the faith's sake, those who rid those Islamic countries God said, Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. According to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die.

So you have a persecuted populace whenever you have the disappearance of godly, faithful men. And then you have proud, arrogant individuals rise. And then, of course, they persecute.

A Preserved Prosperity (Psalm 12:6-7)

God's words are pure and perfect; He will keep and preserve them from a wicked generation, implying a potential famine of hearing His Word.

Now, I want you to look at verses 6 and 7. This is why I preached the message tonight. I had to preach those verses to get to verses 6 and 7. You have, fourthly, here, a preserved prosperity. A preserved prosperity. Now listen. Look in verse 6. The words of the Lord are pure words. As silver tried in the furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. So here is the whole point of the message. Listen carefully. If this does not make you want to pray.

I really don't know what will. having declared that his words were pure words as silver tried in the furnace of the earth, purified seven times, which is the absolute height of perfection, he then makes this astonishing statement in verse 7, Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. Now, my question is this. What is to be kept and preserved from this generation? Now, in the remote context of Psalm 12, we might say, well, that which is going to be preserved and protected is God's people and the poor and the needy. They've already been talked about in this psalm, and that is true. If you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 72, you will notice again, and this is stated so many times in Scripture, but here it's stated very plainly. Notice Psalm 72, beginning there with verse 11. Psalm 72, verse 11.

Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him. We're talking about our Lord. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth the poor also in him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and the needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight." Well, certainly God is going to protect and preserve His own. That is in the remote context. However, I think in the immediate context, We need to see exactly what he's saying. Look in verse 6 again. The words of the Lord. That's what we're talking about. His Word. The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of the earth purified seven times. Now look what he says. Thou shalt keep them. Them what? Those words. Thou shalt keep thy words, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. What? What? God is going to keep His words from this evil, wicked, depraved generation. Well, they despise Him. They deny Him. They denigrate Him.

Why should He speak to them? They have just said, our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? We don't recognize You. We are our own God. We do what we think and what we need to do. That's it. Let me ask you a question. If God commands us in Matthew 7 and verse 6, give not that which is holy unto the dogs, Neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you, if God commands us not to give that which is holy to the dogs and to the swine." Do you think God's going to violate that principle Himself? Do you think God's going to turn around and throw His words which are holy and pure to the dogs and to the swine.

You remember Samuel was raised up because of Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. You can read about them, how wicked and vile they were, especially Hophni and Phinehas. They were the priests of the Lord. And God got a hold of Eli because He restrained them not. But listen to what God said to Eli. I Samuel 2 and verse 30. Wherefore the Lord God of Israel said, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before Me forever. But now, the Lord said, be it far from Me. For them that honor Me will I honor, saith the Lord, and those that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. What did you tell Eli? You've dishonored me. Your sons have dishonored me. In fact, you despised me, and now you're going to be lightly esteemed in light of that principle. Is it any wonder now that you read in 1 Samuel chapter 3 and verse 1, now listen carefully, and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days.

There was no open vision. If I had an hour, I would take you through the Bible and show you what an open vision was. It has nothing to do with dreams. It has nothing to do with trances. Let me explain it like this. Here's what he said. The Word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open preaching. There was no public preaching. How could there be?

Eli and his sons were wicked and wrong. There was no public preaching. Why? Because of corruption in the priesthood and the rebellion of the people. God was not going to give His Word to people who despised His Word. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Amos chapter 8. I know you know this passage. But I want you to see it in light of what I'm preaching. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Amos chapter 8.

And let's begin reading there verse 11. You know the verse, Amos 8 verse 11. God says, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east, and they shall run to and fro and seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it. God said there's going to be a famine. a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. Why would God give His Word to people who do not want His Word? You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 1 and verse 7, listen carefully, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 13 and verse 13, Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 30.

Isaiah chapter 30. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Isaiah 30. Look if you would please at verse 9. Isaiah 30, verse 9, watch, that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord, which say to the seers, see not, and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore, thus saith the Holy One of Israel, because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon, Therefore, this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out at a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant, and he shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces.

He shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water of the pit." Note, if you would, they said we don't care one thing about the Word of God. Turn him away from us. Get out of the way. We don't want to hear this stuff. Is it any wonder there's so little real and true preaching and exposition of the Word of God, especially in this corrupt and rebellious generation? Note, if you would, go back, please, to Psalm 12. Look in Psalm 12. Look what God says in verse 7.

Remember now, He's talked all about the wickedness of this society and the wickedness of this nation. So in verse 7, He said, Thou shalt keep them. That is the words of the Lord. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. Everyone knows there are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament. There was a period of time between the Old Testament and the New Testament. That period of time was 400 years. And it's known as the 400 silent years. God did not speak for 400 years. He spoke through the Old Testament, but there was no new revelation until Jesus Christ came. Now when the Scripture says, Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation. What generation? The generation that David was talking about. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.

The Danger of God Withholding His Word

If God withholds His Word from a rebellious people, there will be no revival, repentance, or conversions, leading to self-destruction.

So here's why I said, if this does not make you want to pray, I don't know what will. If the Word of God is kept and preserved from a people, there will generally be no reviving, no revival, no repentance, no faith, and very few conversions. Yes, I believe there will be a little, because God is faithful. God is not going to leave Himself without witness. He will always have the 7,000 that have never bowed the knee to Baal. I understand that. But generally speaking, if God withholds His word, everything will be lost in every area, in every sphere.

Where there is no truth, only lies and perversions will prevail. Where there is no righteousness, only evil will prevail. Where there is no godliness, only corruption will prevail. I want you to think about this. God does not need to send fire from heaven and brimstone and destroy us as he did Sodom and Gomorrah. He does not need to send a flood as he did in Noah's day. He does not need to send the Russian army or the Chinese army. No. If God desires to destroy us, all he has to do is withhold his word and his grace and we'll destroy ourselves.

I cannot even fathom what it would be like to live where the Word of God is not. And yet you look at societies and cultures and nations today that still do not have the Word of God. And look at their backwardness. Look at the murder and the rape and the pillage. Look at all of that.

Applications: Urgent Prayer for Help

Believers must learn to cry urgently to God for help and salvation, recognizing the desperate state of the nation and the threat of God removing His Word.

God does not need to send fire from heaven. If He just withholds and preserves His Word, we're goners. Two applications. The first one is this. We need to learn to cry and to pray urgently and desperately and readily for God to help and save. I got news for you, folks. We're in more trouble in this country than you can shake a stick at. You don't realize it yet. But if God in his sovereign providence and grace and mercy does not do something, you talk about anarchy. You don't have civil war again. Yeah.

Because you look at the people who say our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? We say and do what we want to say and what we want to do. When the godly cease from a society, when the faithful fail from a society, the only thing you have left is corruption and unfaithfulness and ungodliness. We need to learn to cry like David. Help, Lord. Help, Lord. Help, Lord! Help, Lord! Because only God can straighten us out. It should alarm us. It should really and truly terrify us that God could withhold His Word from us.

You remember when God judged Israel in the days of Elijah? Elijah stood and said to Ahab, As the Lord liveth wherewith I stand, there shall not be rain nor dew these years, but low according to my word. And what did God do? God took Elijah and sent him out of the land to a widow woman's house in Zarephath. God sent him out of the land. The drought was just a physical picture of a spiritual reality. The drought of water signified the drought of the Word of God. Why? Because the prophet of God was not even in the country. Ahab and Jezebel had killed Most of them, except those whom Obadiah hid in a cave. When God starts moving his preachers out of a country, you better pay attention. Are you listening? He doesn't even have to drive us out of the country. When you look at Jeremiah, God left him in the country.

But what did he tell him? Pray not for this people. Kneel, lift up, cry for this people, for I will not hear thee. And all God did to Jeremiah was just shut his mouth. I hope you're beginning to see why David began his prayer With help, Lord. Oh, God, help. Help. We're in such a desperate strait. Only you can straighten us out. I believe that God is going to give us victory in time and in history. But that does not mean that we will not see his hand of judgment upon a wicked nation and a wicked people who hate and despise his word. It should make you want to pray. when you consider that God could withhold His Word from a society, from a culture, from a people. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your warnings.

We know that Thou art holy. and just. And Lord, we do not deserve the least of Thy mercies. How little we oftentimes value Thy Word and the preaching of Thy Gospel. We take it for granted. O Lord, help us to love Thee. Help us to love Thy Word. Help us to love the preaching of the Gospel. And Lord, teach us to pray, Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth and the faithful fail from among the children of men. And Lord, only You can change that.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Urgency of Prayer

Summary: David's passionate cry 'Help, Lord' models urgent, timely prayer in times of moral and spiritual crisis.

Evidence: David says, 'Help, Lord! For the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men.' He does not waste time on formality; the situation is extremely dangerous.

Decline of Godly Men

Summary: The disappearance of righteous, faithful men from society leads to widespread corruption and wickedness.

Evidence: David saw that the godly and faithful men were ceasing... Men of principle, men of character and integrity, as well as men of faith were becoming less and less.

Arrogance and Deceit of the Wicked

Summary: A godless populace speaks lies, flattery, and pride, claiming autonomy and rejecting God's authority.

Evidence: They speak vanity every one with his neighbor, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak... Who have said, with our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us.

Persecution of the Helpless

Summary: The pride of the wicked inevitably leads to oppression of the poor, weak, and needy.

Evidence: For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord.

Preservation of God's Word

Summary: God promises to keep His pure words from a corrupt generation, which can mean withholding His Word as judgment.

Evidence: Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.

Famine of Hearing God's Word

Summary: When people despise God's Word, He may send a famine of hearing it, leading to spiritual desolation.

Evidence: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.

Key Arguments

Prayer must be timely and urgent

Summary: David's example shows that in times of crisis, prayer should be immediate and passionate, not formal.

Evidence: He does not waste time or his breath on formality. He does not have time to do so. The situation is extremely dangerous, and he's very passionate and he's very urgent, and all he says is, help, Lord!

Loss of godly men leads to societal decay

Summary: When righteous men are removed, evil increases because there are fewer to oppose it.

Evidence: When God does indeed remove righteous, godly, and faithful men, when He removes them, Evil cannot help but come because now there are fewer to expose it and to fight against it.

Flattery and double-heartedness equal treachery

Summary: Those who speak with flattering lips and a double heart are insincere and cannot be trusted.

Evidence: Flattery and a double heart always equal treachery... The flatterer has one heart to give utterance to the words which he uses toward his neighbor, and another that conceals his real intent, purpose, and design.

The wicked claim autonomy but God is sovereign

Summary: Though the wicked say 'our lips are our own,' they do not truly control their lives; God does.

Evidence: The wicked may say our tongues are our own, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us, they may say that. But that does not mean that they actually have control over their own lips and lives. No, God does.

God may withhold His Word from a rebellious generation

Summary: If people despise God's Word, He may preserve it from them, resulting in a famine of hearing.

Evidence: Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever... If God desires to destroy us, all he has to do is withhold his word and his grace and we'll destroy ourselves.

The need for desperate prayer for God's help

Summary: Believers must cry out like David for God to intervene and not withhold His Word.

Evidence: We need to learn to cry and to pray urgently and desperately and readily for God to help and save... Help, Lord! Help, Lord! Because only God can straighten us out.

Scripture References

Psalm 12:1-8

Context: The entire psalm is read and forms the basis of the sermon.

Psalm 63:6

Context: David meditated on God upon his bed and in the night watches.

Psalm 119:148

Context: David's eyes prevented the night watches to meditate on God's word.

Psalm 63:1

Context: David sought God early.

Isaiah 26:9

Context: Isaiah desired God in the night and sought Him early.

Psalm 55:17

Context: David prayed evening, morning, and at noon.

Psalm 32:5-6

Context: David confessed sin and noted that the godly pray in a time when God may be found; floods of great waters will not come near.

Isaiah 55:6

Context: Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

Matthew 14:30

Context: Peter cried 'Lord, save me' when sinking, illustrating urgent prayer.

Isaiah 57:1

Context: The righteous perish and no one lays it to heart; merciful men are taken away from the evil to come.

2 Kings 22:18-20

Context: God promised Josiah he would be gathered to his grave in peace and not see the evil to come.

Proverbs 11:8

Context: The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked comes in his stead.

Proverbs 28:12

Context: When righteous men rejoice, there is great glory; when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.

Proverbs 29:2

Context: When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.

Micah 7:1-7

Context: The good man is perished; all lie in wait for blood; trust no one; enemies are in one's own house.

Luke 18:1-5

Context: The unjust judge who feared not God nor regarded man, illustrating lack of fear of God leads to no regard for man.

Jeremiah 9:4-5

Context: Take heed of neighbors; every brother will supplant; they deceive and speak lies.

Psalm 73:8-9

Context: The wicked speak loftily; they set their mouth against the heavens.

Exodus 5:2

Context: Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord that I should obey him?'

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Context: You are not your own; you are bought with a price; glorify God in your body and spirit.

Historical References

Stonewall Jackson's wounding at Chancellorsville

Context: Jackson fell on his mangled arm and later reflected that a converted man can concentrate on God even in pain, unlike the unconverted.

Noah's flood

Context: Many probably prayed during the flood, but it was too late.

Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction

Context: Some probably prayed as fire and brimstone fell, but it was too late.

Tower of Siloam falling

Context: Some probably prayed when the tower fell and killed 18, but it was too late.

400 silent years between Old and New Testaments

Context: God did not speak for 400 years until Christ came, illustrating a period of withheld revelation.

Elijah and the drought in Israel

Context: God sent Elijah out of the land, and the physical drought pictured a spiritual drought of God's word.

Jeremiah commanded not to pray for the people

Context: God told Jeremiah not to pray for the people and shut his mouth, signifying judgment.

Important Quotes

Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth. For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

Significance: This is the opening cry of Psalm 12, setting the urgent tone for the entire sermon.

The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the furnace of the earth, purified seven times.

Significance: Highlights the perfection and purity of God's Word, which He promises to preserve.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Significance: The key promise that God will keep His words from a wicked generation, implying potential judgment.

The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted.

Significance: Describes the societal decay when ungodly leaders are in power.

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found.

Significance: Emphasizes the need for timely prayer before the opportunity passes.

Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto thee.

Significance: Warns that in times of great calamity, it may be too late to seek God.

Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us?

Significance: Captures the arrogant defiance of the wicked who reject God's authority.

Now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

Significance: God's promise to protect the oppressed from the empty threats of the wicked.

Discussion Questions

What does David's urgent cry 'Help, Lord' teach us about the nature of prayer in times of crisis?

Context: David's passionate petition in Psalm 12:1 shows that prayer can be brief and urgent when danger is imminent.

How should the decline of godly and faithful men in society affect our prayer life?

Context: David was moved to pray because the godly were ceasing; we should be similarly burdened.

In what ways do we see flattery and double-heartedness in our culture today, and how should we respond?

Context: Psalm 12:2 describes a society of lies and insincerity; the sermon applies this to modern media and leadership.

What does it mean for God to 'preserve His words from this generation,' and why should that alarm us?

Context: The sermon argues that God may withhold His Word from a rebellious people as judgment.

How can we cultivate a greater love and urgency for God's Word in our personal lives and churches?

Context: The danger of a famine of hearing God's Word calls for valuing and proclaiming Scripture.

What practical steps can we take to pray more urgently for our nation and its leaders?

Context: The sermon concludes with a call to cry 'Help, Lord' for our country's spiritual state.

Applications

Pray urgently and passionately

Summary: We must learn to cry out to God with urgency like David, especially when we see moral decay around us.

Evidence: We need to learn to cry and to pray urgently and desperately and readily for God to help and save.

Value and proclaim God's Word

Summary: Recognize the danger of God withholding His Word and make every effort to treasure, study, and preach it.

Evidence: It should alarm us. It should really and truly terrify us that God could withhold His Word from us.

Be aware of societal decay

Summary: Open our eyes to the decline of godly men and the rise of arrogance, and let it drive us to prayer.

Evidence: We do not perceive the danger that we are in, or the danger in which we are faced.

Trust God's sovereignty over the wicked

Summary: Though the wicked boast, God will cut off flattering lips and protect the oppressed; we can rest in His justice.

Evidence: The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things.

Pray for laborers and righteous leaders

Summary: Ask God to raise up godly men and faithful preachers to counter the tide of wickedness.

Evidence: Pray ye that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest. But they have to be His laborers.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:02:31Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:14:17Z

Clean Transcript

Does This Make You Want to Pray

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 12. Psalm 12. We're going to read the entire Psalm, only eight verses. Psalm 12. The title of the message is, Does This Make You Want to Pray? Look in Psalm 12, verse one. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth. For the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbor. With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
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The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the furnace of the earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted." We've had an entire conference on prayer. And when it comes to prayer, most of us pray, but I'm sure that each one of us would probably admit that we do not pray as we should. And it is indeed possible to be in an attitude of prayer, even when we cannot be on our knees in prayer. But the truth of the matter is we oftentimes miss many opportunities to pray. It is possible to pray before you sleep on your bed. It is possible to pray as soon as you awake and David did so and he used every opportunity to pray.
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For instance in Psalm 63 and verse 6 he said, when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate upon thee in the night watches. So whenever David laid down the first thing he did was remember God and pray and meditate on him during the night watches. He said in Psalm 119, verse 148, Mine eyes prevent or precede the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word. So usually while he was lying in bed, he would meditate on the Word of God. Early morning, even before we get out of bed, is another time to pray and to seek the Lord as we just simply lie there. We should start our day with the Lord. Psalm 63, verse 1, David said, O God, my God, early will I seek Thee.
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My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. And then Isaiah, in Isaiah 26 and verse 9 said, With my soul have I desired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. So David certainly had stated times of prayer.
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The Bible tells us in Psalm 55 and verse 17, evening and morning at noon will I pray and cry aloud and thou shalt hear my voice. So David not only prayed as he lay upon his bed early morning at night, but also three times a day as well. I want you to look, whole Psalm 12, but look in Psalm 32 because David gives us some interesting instruction concerning prayer. In Psalm 32 at verses 5 and 6. Psalm 32 verses 5 and 6. Watch carefully.
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This is another one of those penitential psalms. David said in verse 5, I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. Surely in floods of great waters they shall not come nigh, Now I want you to notice several things about this passage. First, David said that everyone that is godly will acknowledge and confess his sins. Second, he also said that the prayer of the godly would be in a time when God could be found. The implication is very clear that there are times when God may not be found or cannot be found.
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Many individuals falsely and erroneously think and assume that their access to God is always going to be unhindered and unfettered. They're wrong.
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Thirdly, I want you to note what he said in verse 6. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto thee. In other words, the floods of great waters indicates times of great calamity. During these times of great calamity, you will be filled with stress and distress and anguish and sickness and sometimes even death that will prevent people from coming unto the Lord.
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Oftentimes when you and I are hurting or when there is something very grievous unto us, the only thing that we can think about is that which is hurting us and that which is grieving unto us. You remember it was Stonewall Jackson who was wounded at Chancellorsville. And as he was being rushed to the rear on a litter, Lieutenant Smith's foot got caught in a vine and he tripped and Stonewall Jackson fell on that already mangled arm and he let out one little piteous groan. Lieutenant Smith asked him, are you all right? He said, Lieutenant Smith, don't concern yourself about me. Later on, when his arm was amputated and He was recovering. He said it was a very precious thing to him to find out that he was brought face to face with death and was able to concentrate upon the Lord. He actually said he thought he was going to die when he fell from that litter.
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And then he said this, that I have found that a man who has been converted by the grace of God can concentrate on God and spiritual things, but someone who had never been converted would be under so much pain and anguish and stress, he could not focus his mind upon the Lord. That's exactly what David is talking about. Surely in the times of great waters, they will not come nigh unto thee.
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When you stop and think about that, undoubtedly, probably, many prayed during the time of Noah's flood, but it was too late. Probably some prayed as the fire fell and the brimstone fell in Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain, but it was really too late. And some even prayed probably as that tower of Siloam fell when 18 were killed, but it was too late.
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You know, the Bible says in Isaiah 55 and verse 6, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Obviously, there is a time when he may not be found and there is a time when he is not near. And so what God is telling us, and what David is telling us, is our prayers need to be timely, and oftentimes they need to be urgent as well. As you look at Psalm 12, and I do want you to look at Psalm 12 with me tonight, Psalm 12 reveals an example as to when our prayers should not only be urgent, but also should be timely. It is a time when the wicked are in control, when they are prospering, when they are spreading universal corruption, It is a time when there is arrogance and haughtiness and pride. It is a time when the righteous are persecuted and in grave bodily danger. It's a time of faithlessness, idolatry, blasphemy, and ridicule. I want you to see some of these things in Psalm 12.
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First of all, I want you to note in verse 1, a passionate petition. Watch if you would in verse 1. David says, Help, Lord! For the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men." I like the way David begins his prayer. It's a prayer that's full of urgency. It's a prayer that's full of passion. He does not waste time or his breath on formality. He does not have time to do so. The situation is extremely dangerous, and he's very passionate and he's very urgent, and all he says is, help, Lord! Have you ever been in a situation when that's all you could say? That's all you could do? This petition kind of reminds me of Peter's prayer as he began to sink beneath the waves there in Matthew chapter 14 and verse 30. The Bible says, when he saw the wind was boisterous and he was afraid and he was beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me! What? Peter did not have time to say, Now, our Father, we come to Thee and we do this and we do that.
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There's nothing wrong with that. But I'm just simply saying here was a time of urgency. And Peter understood if the Lord Jesus Christ did not save him and catch him instantly, he was a goner. It's the same thing here in Psalm 12. David is understanding the fact that he needs help and he needs help urgently. And so he just cries out in extreme passion, help, Lord. Now, the word help is actually the same word for save. So David is not just simply crying out for God's help, he is, but he's also crying out for God's salvation. The word help here is largely used for all manner of saving, helping, delivering, and preserving. And David realizes the desperate situation in which he is in, and in which he is living, and he cries out to God.
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You know, one of the problems that we have today is we really and truly do not realize the times in which we are living. We really do not perceive the danger in which we are in. I really think that some of these riots and some of these demonstrations are beginning to open some people's eyes. And we're beginning to see, on the one hand, we're not the ones in control of situations.
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And anything can happen just about any time. And the problem is this. We do not see the world that's falling apart all around us. We live in our little cubicle, we live in our own little world, and everything is hunky-dory in our world, but we just do not notice everything that is happening all around us. We do not perceive the danger that we are in, or the danger in which we are faced.
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When David cried, Help Lord, he understood that no human help would be sufficient. He understood that no government could help him. He understood that the only help, the only salvation, would be coming from God. And that help was needed, and it was needed now. It was urgently needed. And if God did not help him, then all hope was gone. So, his very cry indicates that only God can take care of the situation. So he begins his prayer, Help, Lord.
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So you have to ask yourself this question. What was it that disturbed David so greatly? What was it that made him petition God so passionately? Well, there are answers to that question. And if you look in verse one, you will find one of the answers. He says, help, Lord, for the godly man ceases for the faithful fail from among the children of men. Let me ask you a question.
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We were talking about this before service. But has the deterioration of the church ever really bothered you? Have you ever really been concerned about how few real biblical preachers there are? Has it ever upset you that most churches know nothing of biblical standards? They know nothing of God's law. They know nothing about how to live holily and godly. They know nothing about obedience and submission. Has it ever upset you that faithful men, godly men, and I'm not just talking about preachers, But faithful men and godly men are few and hard to find in our day and time. Now, I understand there are some, but they are few and far between. And have you ever contemplated that when upstanding and righteous and godly men perish, no one rises up to take their place? David saw that the godly and faithful men were ceasing.
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That is, they were failing. They were coming to an end in his society. Men of principle, men of character and integrity, as well as men of faith were becoming less and less. Why? Well, one answer is surely some were dying. But I want you to hold Psalm 12, but look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 57 and verse 1. And it's not just that godly men were dying, but the point is, why were they dying? And look at one of the answers it's given us in the Bible. Isaiah 57 and verse 1, God says it like this, The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart. And merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." Isn't that amazing? The righteous man perishes and no man lays it to heart. No man thinks about godly men disappearing. No one thinks about godly men are gone. No one takes it to heart. Merciful men are taken away, and they don't even consider that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
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In other words, God sovereignly, graciously, and mercifully removes some of His choicest servants, so they will not face the evil that is to come. If you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of 2 Kings, chapter 22, you'll see that God gave this promise to Josiah. There is a great revival under Josiah. And notice if you would in 2 Kings chapter 22, and we'll begin reading there with verse 18. 2 Kings 22 verse 18. Notice what God says.
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But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you send him. Thus said the Lord God of Israel, as touching the words which thou hast heard, Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me, I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place." And they brought the king word again." Isn't that amazing? The righteous man perishes and no man lays it to heart.
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Merciful men are taken away. and none consider that the righteous is taken from the evil that is to come." So sometimes God just simply removes the righteous so they will not see what's coming down the pike. Secondly, you have to consider this, that when God does indeed remove righteous, godly, and faithful men, when He removes them, Evil cannot help but come because now there are fewer to expose it and to fight against it and to decry against it. Society usually becomes more corrupt when righteous men are taken away. Without righteous men, there cannot possibly be a righteous influence.
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This is why David is being so moved. Help, Lord. Help, Lord. The godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. The Bible says in Proverbs 11 in verse 8, the righteous is delivered out of his trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead. Well, now you say that's good. Yes, it's good that the righteous is delivered out of trouble, but when wicked men fall into trouble, they usually cause more trouble because they are corrupt and they act corruptly, and they're going to do whatever is necessary to get themselves out of the trouble. You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 28 in verse 12, When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory. But when the wicked rise, a man is hidden. When the wicked rise, a man is hidden. The rise of the wicked always causes mourning among the righteous. Because in Proverbs 29, verse 2, the Bible says, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn. Hmm.
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Let me just tell you what I'm talking about. Look in Atlanta, Georgia today. Look in Montgomery, Alabama. Look in Washington, D.C. and endeavor to find righteous men with character, integrity, honor, faith, and men that will stand for biblical truth and biblical principles that are laid out in the Word of God. Where are they? Well, you say, I know one. Well, so do I. Where are the rest? We can name one or we might name two, but where are they? Just look around and try to find them. Look in the business world. Look at the church world. I don't care where you look. Unhappily.
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Some of the worst individuals are preachers.
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When godliness goes, faithfulness inevitably follows. Without the fear of God, there is no love of the truth. Common honesty is no longer common. And common irreligion always leads to universal godlessness and corruption. The effects And the loss of godly men are clearly revealed to us in the Bible. I want you to hold Psalm 12, but turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Micah. The little book of Micah. So you'll have Amos, and Obadiah, and Jonah, and Micah. Look in the book of Micah, chapter 7, if you would, and let's just try to read the first seven verses. Micah, chapter 7, beginning with verse 1. I want you to note what the scripture is teaching us here about the loss of godly men. Notice, if you would, Micah 7, beginning with verse 1. Micah says, Woe is me, for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage.
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There is no cluster to eat. My soul desire the first ripe fruit, but there's nothing around. And then he says this. The good man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men. They all lie and wait for blood, they hunt every man his brother with a net, that they may do evil with both hands earnestly. The prince asketh, and the judge asketh for reward, and the great man, he utters his mischievous desire, so they wrap it up.
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The best of them is a briar. The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge. The day of thy watchman and thy visitation cometh.
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Now shall be there perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put you not confidence in a guide. Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, and the daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies are the men of his own house. What is he talking about? He's talking about a time in society where there is no character, there is no honesty. In other words, he's talking about the same thing that David is. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men.
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It's something that should make us cry out urgently and passionately for. It's kind of like our Lord says, Pray ye that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest. But they have to be His laborers. And they have to be men in whom you can place trust. We, like David, should be crying, Help, Lord! Yeah. Because the godly man ceaseth and the faithful fail from among the children of men. That's a good reason to pray.
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But go back to Psalm 12. Here's a second reason David was crying out so passionately. I want you to note a proud populace. You'll find this in verses 2 through 4. He says, they speak vanity every one with his neighbor, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things, who have said, with our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us.
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Now, these verses demonstrate clearly the result of the loss of godly and faithful men. And where godliness declines, corruption and wickedness rise. Let me explain it like this. Where there is no fear of God, There's not going to be any regard for man. There's a passage that's been quoted several times this week, Luke chapter 18, when the Lord said that men ought always to pray and not to faint. And then He said there was a judge in a certain city who feared not God, neither regarded man. So if you don't fear God, there's not going to be any regard for man. And when that widow woman coming to that judge and saying, avenge me, my adversary. The judge finally said, though I fear not God, nor have no regard for man, yet I'm going to avenge this woman, lest by her continual coming, she weary me. In other words, he could care one thing less about God and one thing less about man. He couldn't even care about the widow woman. The only thing he was concerned about was himself.
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Get her off my back. That's all. Where there is no fear of God, there is no regard for man. I want you to watch this. Look in verse 2. He says, They speak vanity every one with his neighbor. That is lying. With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. So verse 2 tells us that when godly and faithful men fail, truth and honesty fail, and lies and dishonesty and a double heart arises. Literally, the Hebrew is a heart and a heart.
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That is, someone with two hearts. What's the explanation of a double heart? Well, a double heart is when someone says one thing, but he actually means something else. Or, he says one thing and does something totally different. Man, he's saying in verse 2, is full of insincerity, falsehood, hypocrisy, both in regard to himself and in regard to others. There's numerous illustrations of this given in the Bible.
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You must remember that which Cain did to Abel, what Joab did to Amasa and to Abner, what the Herodians did to Christ, what Judas did to his master, what false teachers do to the simple, and what hypocrites do to God. What's the hypocrite? He's one that says one thing and then lives another. Dishonest? Yes. Verse 2 also reveals that there is a connection between flattery and treachery. Notice, he says, they speak vanity, everyone with his neighbor, with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. So flattery and a double heart always equal treachery. Let me show you.
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Hold Psalm 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 9. Jeremiah chapter 9. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Jeremiah 9, verse 4. Look what it says. Jeremiah 9, verse 4. Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust you not in any brother. For every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders, and they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity." Wow! The flatterer has one heart to give utterance to the words which he uses toward his neighbor, and another that conceals his real intent, purpose, and design.
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Therefore, no confidence can be placed in such persons. And they actually believe that they can flatter and deceive and lie themselves out of any situation or circumstance. Well, look in verse 3. Look in verse 3. After he talks about all these flattering lips, verse 3 says, the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Flattering lips are lying lips, treacherous lips, wicked lips, and also arrogant lips. I want you to note, such lips are unafraid to challenge man or to challenge God.
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You remember Psalm 73, Asaph had a problem. He was envious of the wicked. And he describes the wicked. But he also says this about the wicked. Listen carefully. They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily. They set their mouths against the heaven and with their tongue they walketh through the earth. So he is saying these wicked, deceitful flatterers who trust in their own lips are not afraid to curse God or curse.
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It doesn't matter to them. No wonder the Apostle Jude called them raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame. So David said the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Have you ever noticed that James was correct when he said the tongue no man can tame? Men cannot tame the tongues, especially the tongues of such boastful flatterers. The Lord's remedy for such is sharp, but it is sure.
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It is an unanswerable answer. And that is. He will cut off. Those that speak proud things, the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and those that speak proud things, God said, I'll just remove them. I'll take them out. Let me show you the height of their arrogance. Look in verse four. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us?
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Now, this does not mean that they had formally announced open defiance to God. They did not need to do so, because their lives evidenced that rebellious conduct and that defiance. They acted as if they were the real principle on which they framed their lives and that everything else existed around them, and they used their tongues as they pleased. Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? In other words, it was by their tongue that they expected to accomplish all of their purposes.
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It was not with direct power particularly. It was not by violence particularly, but by the power of speech. In other words, here's what they said, we will do mightily. We can talk anyone into anything. We can get people to do exactly what we want them to do. We will just simply use our tongue, the power of our speech. We will influence others. By the way, if you don't think the wicked are doing this, just turn on CNN or any media today. Pick up any newspaper.
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Go to any government school. We're churning out little humanists left and right. So their attitude is our lips are our own. In other words, we can say what we want to do. No one has the right to control what we think, what we say and what we do. Our lips are our own. And since they claim their lips are their own, then the next question is very logical.
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Who is Lord over us? We are our own gods. We say what we want to say, we do what we want to do. So like Pharaoh, they refused to recognize God's absolute sovereignty and his rule over them. You remember when Moses came to Pharaoh in Exodus chapter five and said, Thus saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may serve me. In verse two, Pharaoh responded, Who is the Lord?
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that I should obey him. I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Notice what he said. Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I don't know him. I don't recognize him. You have to remember that those plagues in Egypt were against the false gods of Egypt and Pharaoh himself claimed to be a god. And that's why His firstborn died too, because He could not even protect His own child. He could not protect anyone's child. And so they are saying, our lips are open, who is Lord over us? A wicked and corrupt and godless populace refuses to acknowledge God, and they attempt to control their own lives, listen to me, and they attempt to control the lives of others, while on the one hand they're saying, God is not sovereign, God has no right over my lips, God has no right over my life, at the same time they're saying, but I have rights over everyone else's lives, and I can lie, and I can...
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Flatter and I can deceive and I can do whatever I want to to influence them to get them to live the way I want them to live. Well, obviously they're playing God. Look what happens in verse 8. I'm just going to mention it here. He says the wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted. So you let these men get in positions of power and leadership and the wicked walk on every side.
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Now for the child of God, we have to remember that everything we are and everything we have belongs to the Lord. You remember what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19 and 20? He said, What? What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God's.
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To whom do your lips belong? God. To whom does your tongue belong, God? Everything you are, everything you have belongs to him.
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Now, the wicked may say our tongues are our own, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us, they may say that. But that does not mean that they actually have control over their own lips and lives. No, God does. Let me ask you this. David had this passionate petition. Help, Lord. For the godly man ceases and the faithful fail from among the children of men.
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And then he discusses this proud populace. Everybody's so arrogant. What is it? What would be the consequence of having a society like that? Well, you'll find it in verse 5. Look at it. Here's a persecuted people. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. When the wicked reign, persecution and oppression or inevitable. The Hebrew word is variously translated for oppression here as spoil, destruction, desolation, robbery, wasting, and oppression. It always speaks of havoc, violence, ruin, destruction, and devastation. So the pride and the haughtiness that you see in verses 2 through 4 always leads to the persecution of the poor and the needy. Now, notice if you would, in verse five, he says, for the oppression of the poor. When you and I think about poor people. We think of someone who has.
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An insufficient amount of money. We're poor. That is not what the scripture is talking about here. The Hebrew word for poor is one that is translated in our Bibles as poor, afflicted, weak, lowly, humble, and needy. So it's not just someone who does not have money that is being persecuted. It's someone who happens to be weak, lowly, humble, and needy. It means, therefore, that the wicked who think that their lips are their own, who are full of pride and arrogance and haughtiness, that they now persecute and they prosecute and they oppress anyone that is helpless, that does not have the power or the ability to fight back.
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I've talked to so many people who've been so wrongly acted upon by the powers that be. And I would ask, why do you not fight? And the answer always comes back, I don't have the money. I don't have the time to do this. I don't have the money to do it. It costs money to hire attorneys. They know that.
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Now when he says in verse 5, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, the word sighing actually indicates crying and groaning. It speaks of real lamentation and woe. So the persecution and the oppression are real and genuine. And then the next word is the needy. And the needy refers to those who are in want, those who are in need, those who need deliverance, those who need help from trouble, those who need to be delivered from God. So he says, for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord. And then he says this, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Wow! Those individuals who think that their lips are their own, and that their tongue is their own, and who speak proudly and arrogantly and who end up persecuting the poor and the needy, God says, I'm going to rise and I'm going to set the poor and the needy in safety from him that puffeth
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at him. And the word puffeth literally means to puff, to blow, and to snort. So let me put it to you like this. All the wicked are doing are blowing hot air. And God says, I'm going to take care of that. They're blowing hot air. They really cannot accomplish their desire. They can persecute. Yes, they can oppress. Yes. But they cannot accomplish their desire. In Psalm 64, verse 1, David prayed, Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer.
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Preserve my life from the enemy. Here's an interesting verse, and I would encourage you to memorize it. I would encourage you to pray it. Psalm 79, verse 11. For the prayer is, Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. according to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die." I pray that prayer frequently, especially for the brethren who have been wrongly imprisoned and imprisoned for the faith's sake, those who rid those Islamic countries God said, Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. According to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die.
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So you have a persecuted populace whenever you have the disappearance of godly, faithful men. And then you have proud, arrogant individuals rise. And then, of course, they persecute.
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Now, I want you to look at verses 6 and 7. This is why I preached the message tonight. I had to preach those verses to get to verses 6 and 7. You have, fourthly, here, a preserved prosperity. A preserved prosperity. Now listen. Look in verse 6. The words of the Lord are pure words. As silver tried in the furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. So here is the whole point of the message. Listen carefully. If this does not make you want to pray.
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I really don't know what will. having declared that his words were pure words as silver tried in the furnace of the earth, purified seven times, which is the absolute height of perfection, he then makes this astonishing statement in verse 7, Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.
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Now, my question is this. What is to be kept and preserved from this generation? Now, in the remote context of Psalm 12, we might say, well, that which is going to be preserved and protected is God's people and the poor and the needy. They've already been talked about in this psalm, and that is true. If you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 72, you will notice again, and this is stated so many times in Scripture, but here it's stated very plainly. Notice Psalm 72, beginning there with verse 11. Psalm 72, verse 11.
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Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him. We're talking about our Lord. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth the poor also in him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and the needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight."
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Well, certainly God is going to protect and preserve His own. That is in the remote context. However, I think in the immediate context, We need to see exactly what he's saying. Look in verse 6 again. The words of the Lord. That's what we're talking about. His Word. The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of the earth purified seven times. Now look what he says. Thou shalt keep them. Them what? Those words. Thou shalt keep thy words, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. What? What? God is going to keep His words from this evil, wicked, depraved generation. Well, they despise Him. They deny Him. They denigrate Him.
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Why should He speak to them? They have just said, our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? We don't recognize You. We are our own God. We do what we think and what we need to do. That's it. Let me ask you a question. If God commands us in Matthew 7 and verse 6, give not that which is holy unto the dogs, Neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you, if God commands us not to give that which is holy to the dogs and to the swine." Do you think God's going to violate that principle Himself? Do you think God's going to turn around and throw His words which are holy and pure to the dogs and to the swine.
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You remember Samuel was raised up because of Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. You can read about them, how wicked and vile they were, especially Hophni and Phinehas. They were the priests of the Lord. And God got a hold of Eli because He restrained them not. But listen to what God said to Eli. I Samuel 2 and verse 30. Wherefore the Lord God of Israel said, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before Me forever. But now, the Lord said, be it far from Me. For them that honor Me will I honor, saith the Lord, and those that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. What did you tell Eli? You've dishonored me. Your sons have dishonored me. In fact, you despised me, and now you're going to be lightly esteemed in light of that principle. Is it any wonder now that you read in 1 Samuel chapter 3 and verse 1, now listen carefully, and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days.
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There was no open vision. If I had an hour, I would take you through the Bible and show you what an open vision was. It has nothing to do with dreams. It has nothing to do with trances. Let me explain it like this. Here's what he said. The Word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open preaching. There was no public preaching. How could there be?
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Eli and his sons were wicked and wrong. There was no public preaching. Why? Because of corruption in the priesthood and the rebellion of the people. God was not going to give His Word to people who despised His Word. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Amos chapter 8. I know you know this passage. But I want you to see it in light of what I'm preaching. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Amos chapter 8.
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And let's begin reading there verse 11. You know the verse, Amos 8 verse 11. God says, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east, and they shall run to and fro and seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it. God said there's going to be a famine. a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. Why would God give His Word to people who do not want His Word? You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 1 and verse 7, listen carefully, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 13 and verse 13, Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 30.
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Isaiah chapter 30. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Isaiah 30. Look if you would please at verse 9. Isaiah 30, verse 9, watch, that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord, which say to the seers, see not, and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore, thus saith the Holy One of Israel, because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon, Therefore, this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out at a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant, and he shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces.
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He shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water of the pit." Note, if you would, they said we don't care one thing about the Word of God. Turn him away from us. Get out of the way. We don't want to hear this stuff. Is it any wonder there's so little real and true preaching and exposition of the Word of God, especially in this corrupt and rebellious generation? Note, if you would, go back, please, to Psalm 12. Look in Psalm 12. Look what God says in verse 7.
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Remember now, He's talked all about the wickedness of this society and the wickedness of this nation. So in verse 7, He said, Thou shalt keep them. That is the words of the Lord. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever. Everyone knows there are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament. There was a period of time between the Old Testament and the New Testament. That period of time was 400 years. And it's known as the 400 silent years. God did not speak for 400 years. He spoke through the Old Testament, but there was no new revelation until Jesus Christ came. Now when the Scripture says, Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation. What generation? The generation that David was talking about. Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.
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So here's why I said, if this does not make you want to pray, I don't know what will. If the Word of God is kept and preserved from a people, there will generally be no reviving, no revival, no repentance, no faith, and very few conversions. Yes, I believe there will be a little, because God is faithful. God is not going to leave Himself without witness. He will always have the 7,000 that have never bowed the knee to Baal. I understand that. But generally speaking, if God withholds His word, everything will be lost in every area, in every sphere.
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Where there is no truth, only lies and perversions will prevail. Where there is no righteousness, only evil will prevail. Where there is no godliness, only corruption will prevail. I want you to think about this. God does not need to send fire from heaven and brimstone and destroy us as he did Sodom and Gomorrah. He does not need to send a flood as he did in Noah's day. He does not need to send the Russian army or the Chinese army. No. If God desires to destroy us, all he has to do is withhold his word and his grace and we'll destroy ourselves.
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I cannot even fathom what it would be like to live where the Word of God is not. And yet you look at societies and cultures and nations today that still do not have the Word of God. And look at their backwardness. Look at the murder and the rape and the pillage. Look at all of that.
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God does not need to send fire from heaven. If He just withholds and preserves His Word, we're goners. Two applications. The first one is this. We need to learn to cry and to pray urgently and desperately and readily for God to help and save. I got news for you, folks. We're in more trouble in this country than you can shake a stick at. You don't realize it yet. But if God in his sovereign providence and grace and mercy does not do something, you talk about anarchy. You don't have civil war again. Yeah.
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Because you look at the people who say our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? We say and do what we want to say and what we want to do. When the godly cease from a society, when the faithful fail from a society, the only thing you have left is corruption and unfaithfulness and ungodliness. We need to learn to cry like David. Help, Lord. Help, Lord. Help, Lord! Help, Lord! Because only God can straighten us out. It should alarm us. It should really and truly terrify us that God could withhold His Word from us.
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You remember when God judged Israel in the days of Elijah? Elijah stood and said to Ahab, As the Lord liveth wherewith I stand, there shall not be rain nor dew these years, but low according to my word. And what did God do? God took Elijah and sent him out of the land to a widow woman's house in Zarephath. God sent him out of the land. The drought was just a physical picture of a spiritual reality. The drought of water signified the drought of the Word of God. Why? Because the prophet of God was not even in the country. Ahab and Jezebel had killed Most of them, except those whom Obadiah hid in a cave. When God starts moving his preachers out of a country, you better pay attention. Are you listening? He doesn't even have to drive us out of the country. When you look at Jeremiah, God left him in the country.
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But what did he tell him? Pray not for this people. Kneel, lift up, cry for this people, for I will not hear thee. And all God did to Jeremiah was just shut his mouth. I hope you're beginning to see why David began his prayer With help, Lord. Oh, God, help. Help. We're in such a desperate strait. Only you can straighten us out. I believe that God is going to give us victory in time and in history. But that does not mean that we will not see his hand of judgment upon a wicked nation and a wicked people who hate and despise his word. It should make you want to pray. when you consider that God could withhold His Word from a society, from a culture, from a people. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your warnings.
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We know that Thou art holy. and just. And Lord, we do not deserve the least of Thy mercies. How little we oftentimes value Thy Word and the preaching of Thy Gospel. We take it for granted. O Lord, help us to love Thee. Help us to love Thy Word. Help us to love the preaching of the Gospel. And Lord, teach us to pray, Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth and the faithful fail from among the children of men. And Lord, only You can change that.
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Grant repentance and grant faith and mercy. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:02:31Z

Does This Make You Want to Pray

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver preaches from Psalm 12, urging urgent prayer in light of the decline of godly men, the rise of a proud and deceitful populace, and the persecution of the needy. He warns that God may withhold His pure Word from a rebellious generation, making passionate prayer for help and preservation essential.

Opening

A Passionate Petition (Psalm 12:1)

David cries urgently, 'Help, Lord,' because godly and faithful men are disappearing from society, leaving a vacuum of righteousness.

A Proud Populace (Psalm 12:2-4)

The loss of godly men leads to a society marked by lying, flattery, double-heartedness, and arrogant defiance of God.

Hold Psalm 12, but look in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 9. Jeremiah chapter 9. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Jeremiah 9, verse 4. Look what it says. Jeremiah 9, verse 4.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 9:4-5

Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust you not in any brother. For every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders, and they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity."

Wow! The flatterer has one heart to give utterance to the words which he uses toward his neighbor, and another that conceals his real intent, purpose, and design.

A Persecuted People (Psalm 12:5)

The oppression and groaning of the poor and needy result from the reign of the wicked, but God promises to arise and set them in safety.

So you have a persecuted populace whenever you have the disappearance of godly, faithful men. And then you have proud, arrogant individuals rise. And then, of course, they persecute.

A Preserved Prosperity (Psalm 12:6-7)

God's words are pure and perfect; He will keep and preserve them from a wicked generation, implying a potential famine of hearing His Word.

The Danger of God Withholding His Word

If God withholds His Word from a rebellious people, there will be no revival, repentance, or conversions, leading to self-destruction.

Applications: Urgent Prayer for Help

Believers must learn to cry urgently to God for help and salvation, recognizing the desperate state of the nation and the threat of God removing His Word.

Does This Make You Want to Pray

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	821171928610
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2017-08-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	79

Lecture Guide

Outline

A Passionate Petition (Psalm 12:1): David cries urgently, 'Help, Lord,' because godly and faithful men are disappearing from society, leaving a vacuum of righteousness.
A Proud Populace (Psalm 12:2-4): The loss of godly men leads to a society marked by lying, flattery, double-heartedness, and arrogant defiance of God.
A Persecuted People (Psalm 12:5): The oppression and groaning of the poor and needy result from the reign of the wicked, but God promises to arise and set them in safety.
A Preserved Prosperity (Psalm 12:6-7): God's words are pure and perfect; He will keep and preserve them from a wicked generation, implying a potential famine of hearing His Word.
The Danger of God Withholding His Word: If God withholds His Word from a rebellious people, there will be no revival, repentance, or conversions, leading to self-destruction.
Applications: Urgent Prayer for Help: Believers must learn to cry urgently to God for help and salvation, recognizing the desperate state of the nation and the threat of God removing His Word.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Prayer must be timely and urgent

David's example shows that in times of crisis, prayer should be immediate and passionate, not formal.

He does not waste time or his breath on formality. He does not have time to do so. The situation is extremely dangerous, and he's very passionate and he's very urgent, and all he says is, help, Lord!

Loss of godly men leads to societal decay

When righteous men are removed, evil increases because there are fewer to oppose it.

When God does indeed remove righteous, godly, and faithful men, when He removes them, Evil cannot help but come because now there are fewer to expose it and to fight against it.

Flattery and double-heartedness equal treachery

Those who speak with flattering lips and a double heart are insincere and cannot be trusted.

Flattery and a double heart always equal treachery... The flatterer has one heart to give utterance to the words which he uses toward his neighbor, and another that conceals his real intent, purpose, and design.

The wicked claim autonomy but God is sovereign

Though the wicked say 'our lips are our own,' they do not truly control their lives; God does.

The wicked may say our tongues are our own, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us, they may say that. But that does not mean that they actually have control over their own lips and lives. No, God does.

God may withhold His Word from a rebellious generation

If people despise God's Word, He may preserve it from them, resulting in a famine of hearing.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever... If God desires to destroy us, all he has to do is withhold his word and his grace and we'll destroy ourselves.

The need for desperate prayer for God's help

Believers must cry out like David for God to intervene and not withhold His Word.

We need to learn to cry and to pray urgently and desperately and readily for God to help and save... Help, Lord! Help, Lord! Because only God can straighten us out.

Scripture References

Psalm 12:1-8: The entire psalm is read and forms the basis of the sermon.
Psalm 63:6: David meditated on God upon his bed and in the night watches.
Psalm 119:148: David's eyes prevented the night watches to meditate on God's word.
Psalm 63:1: David sought God early.
Isaiah 26:9: Isaiah desired God in the night and sought Him early.
Psalm 55:17: David prayed evening, morning, and at noon.
Psalm 32:5-6: David confessed sin and noted that the godly pray in a time when God may be found; floods of great waters will not come near.
Isaiah 55:6: Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.
Matthew 14:30: Peter cried 'Lord, save me' when sinking, illustrating urgent prayer.
Isaiah 57:1: The righteous perish and no one lays it to heart; merciful men are taken away from the evil to come.
2 Kings 22:18-20: God promised Josiah he would be gathered to his grave in peace and not see the evil to come.
Proverbs 11:8: The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked comes in his stead.
Proverbs 28:12: When righteous men rejoice, there is great glory; when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.
Proverbs 29:2: When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.
Micah 7:1-7: The good man is perished; all lie in wait for blood; trust no one; enemies are in one's own house.
Luke 18:1-5: The unjust judge who feared not God nor regarded man, illustrating lack of fear of God leads to no regard for man.
Jeremiah 9:4-5: Take heed of neighbors; every brother will supplant; they deceive and speak lies.
Psalm 73:8-9: The wicked speak loftily; they set their mouth against the heavens.
Exodus 5:2: Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord that I should obey him?'
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: You are not your own; you are bought with a price; glorify God in your body and spirit.

Historical References

Stonewall Jackson's wounding at Chancellorsville: Jackson fell on his mangled arm and later reflected that a converted man can concentrate on God even in pain, unlike the unconverted.
Noah's flood: Many probably prayed during the flood, but it was too late.
Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction: Some probably prayed as fire and brimstone fell, but it was too late.
Tower of Siloam falling: Some probably prayed when the tower fell and killed 18, but it was too late.
400 silent years between Old and New Testaments: God did not speak for 400 years until Christ came, illustrating a period of withheld revelation.
Elijah and the drought in Israel: God sent Elijah out of the land, and the physical drought pictured a spiritual drought of God's word.
Jeremiah commanded not to pray for the people: God told Jeremiah not to pray for the people and shut his mouth, signifying judgment.

Important Quotes

Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth. For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

This is the opening cry of Psalm 12, setting the urgent tone for the entire sermon.

The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the furnace of the earth, purified seven times.

Highlights the perfection and purity of God's Word, which He promises to preserve.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

The key promise that God will keep His words from a wicked generation, implying potential judgment.

The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted.

Describes the societal decay when ungodly leaders are in power.

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found.

Emphasizes the need for timely prayer before the opportunity passes.

Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto thee.

Warns that in times of great calamity, it may be too late to seek God.

Who have said with our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us?

Captures the arrogant defiance of the wicked who reject God's authority.

Now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

God's promise to protect the oppressed from the empty threats of the wicked.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does David's urgent cry 'Help, Lord' teach us about the nature of prayer in times of crisis?

[Context]

David's passionate petition in Psalm 12:1 shows that prayer can be brief and urgent when danger is imminent.

[Question]

How should the decline of godly and faithful men in society affect our prayer life?

[Context]

David was moved to pray because the godly were ceasing; we should be similarly burdened.

[Question]

In what ways do we see flattery and double-heartedness in our culture today, and how should we respond?

[Context]

Psalm 12:2 describes a society of lies and insincerity; the sermon applies this to modern media and leadership.

[Question]

What does it mean for God to 'preserve His words from this generation,' and why should that alarm us?

[Context]

The sermon argues that God may withhold His Word from a rebellious people as judgment.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a greater love and urgency for God's Word in our personal lives and churches?

[Context]

The danger of a famine of hearing God's Word calls for valuing and proclaiming Scripture.

[Question]

What practical steps can we take to pray more urgently for our nation and its leaders?

[Context]

The sermon concludes with a call to cry 'Help, Lord' for our country's spiritual state.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:14:17Z